TERRE HAUTE —
Another day, another comeback in the Prospect League for the Terre Haute Rex.
Conor Fisk got drilled for six hits and four runs in the third inning but the Rex climbed back in the game, eventually tying it at 4-4 in the seventh when Ronnie Mitchell doubled and scored on a single by Jacob Hayes.
That set up heroics by Stephen Bruno in the bottom of the ninth. After Hayes reached on an infield single and Springfield manager Danny Cox was ejected after arguing the call, Bruno came to the plate.
Hayes stole second on an 0-2 count, but Bruno battled against Springfield pitcher Chris Hoffman.
Then the University of Virginia standout hit a towering blast over the left-field wall for a game-winning two-run homer. The Rex won 6-4.
“He was fighting me. He’s got some good stuff, and I was just trying to see the ball up,” Bruno said. “I was trying not to chase a ball. Luckily, I got a pitch up that I could drive.”
The victory sets up a win-and-in scenario for the Rex today against Danville at Bob Warn Field. The Rex can clinch a playoff spot by either claiming the second-half West Division title or by having the second-best overall record in the division if the Quincy Gems win the second-half title.
The Rex could also take the playoff berth with a loss if Springfield loses to Hannibal tonight.
Fisk gave up a triple to left-center field, a triple to right-center field and a double to the wall in straightaway center in the third inning.
“I hadn’t been hit like that all year,” the Rex strikeout leader said. “It kind of got to me a bit. I just refocused and settled down.”
Fisk only allowed one hit, a harmless single in the eighth, the rest of the game. He struck out seven and walked one. The Rex pitcher had not allowed a triple all season before Friday night.
His experience this summer against quality competition has helped him raise the level of his game.
“It definitely comes with experience, especially when you get to this level,” Fisk said. “Every guy in the lineup can hit you. When they start tagging you like that, it kind of gets to you. You’ve got to be able to re-center and refocus and come back with your best stuff.”
Fisk has been impressed by the resilience of the Rex, who have overcome numerous injuries to both the lineup and the pitching staff to stay in the playoff hunt. Bruno’s sixth home run of the season — in just 63 at-bats — to capped the biggest win of the season so far.
“That was huge. That was impressive,” Fisk said. “Going down four early in a game, you definitely have time to come back. We battled our way back. We just have a lot of talent up and down the lineup, even on the bench. A guy will get hurt and a guy will come in and be hot right away. We just have a lot of competitors.”
The contributions came from up and down the lineup Friday.
Designated hitter Mike Schroeder, a recent addition to the roster, provided a two-run single in the fourth to start the scoring for the Rex.
Chris Bossenbery tossed a scoreless ninth inning in his league-high 29th appearance out of the bullpen. He allowed a leadoff double to Ryan McMillin but escaped the jam when a Jeremy Shay bunt came right back to the mound. Bossenbery’s throw to third was low, but Koby Kraemer dug it out of the turf and barely got the tag down in time to nail the go-ahead runner.
Following the home run by Bruno that ended the game, Springfield’s pitcher continued to express his frustration at the base umpire, who was walking toward the exit in right field. The Springfield dugout continued to express that frustration toward Rex players and coaches after the teams shook hands.
Filling in for suspended manager Brian Dorsett, Rex coach Darrin Barton tried to keep the peace. He agreed the Rex were on the fortunate end of the call on Hayes’ infield single, but that’s baseball.
“There’s been a lot of calls go back and forth all summer long. You can’t just pick one call to make your whole summer. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t,” Barton said.
Bruno, who missed almost all of the spring with top-ranked Virginia due to injury, is just enjoying the chance to compete.
“It’s not just a summer league,” Bruno said. “It’s a place for players to bond. We’ve got a great team, a lot of players are stepping up.”
Terre Haute Rex
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Out at first: Rex thirdbaseman Koby Kraemer eyes a throw to first base for an out after fielding a ground ball.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Safe: Nick Johnson gets to second base ahead of the tag by Springfiled's Dan Douglas.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Meeting place: Ronnie Mitchell, center, catches a fly ball between teammates Jordan Pearson(2) and Nick Johnson.
Discussion
Win today puts Rex in Prospect playoffs
Walk-off homer completes comeback against Springfield
- Terre Haute Rex
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Rex summer league team will have almost entire new pitching staff
Perseverance was one of the stories for the Terre Haute Rex during the 2011 season as manager Brian Dorsett took the team to its first playoff berth in its second year of existence.
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Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
Terre Haute Rex fans will get to see their favorite baseball team play two additional home games this year — and it will be a championship team they’re watching.
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America’s (Class) Time: ISU students analyze Rex attendance data for class project
Though a group of Indiana State University students learned about statistics in class, they discovered even more at a baseball stadium.
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No comeback this time for Rex
Perhaps the most endearing trait of the 2011 Terre Haute Rex was their ability to repeatedly forge thrilling come-from-behind victories.
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Rex's pitching staff has big postseason potential
Manager Brian Dorsett has his Terre Haute Rex pitching rotation set up just as he would like, with Prospect League all-star right-hander Daniel Heefner set to take the mound tonight at Quincy.
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Rex earn playoff spot with 8-3 win against Danville
Going into Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Danville Dans at Bob Warn Field, the Terre Haute Rex faced a potential woulda, coulda, shoulda scenario when it came to qualifying for the Prospect League baseball playoffs.
The Rex had to defeat Danville or Springfield would need to lose to Hannibal for Terre Haute to qualify for its first-ever playoff bid. -
Win today puts Rex in Prospect playoffs
Another day, another comeback in the Prospect League for the Terre Haute Rex.
Conor Fisk got drilled for six hits and four runs in the third inning but the Rex climbed back in the game, eventually tying it at 4-4 in the seventh when Ronnie Mitchell doubled and scored on a single by Jacob Hayes. -
Rex pick up crucial victory, setting up matchup with Springfield
This evening’s 7:05 p.m. home baseball game at Bob Warn Field against the Springfield Sliders is arguably the most important one in the two-year history of the Terre Haute Rex.
So it’s nice that the home team will go into it with guns blazing. -
Nearly 2 years later, Rex a local hit
On a recent red-hot Sunday evening at Bob Warn Field, Terre Haute Rex general manager Roland Shelton pointed out an elderly lady sitting in the sun as a typical fan of the team.
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Rex drops DeKalb County 13-11
Stephen Bruno hit two home runs, and the Terre Haute Rex pounded out 16 hits in a 13-11 victory at DeKalb County in the continuation of a game that began Tuesday night.
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Rex spooked in loss
It was exactly three months to Halloween, so that might explain why it was a rather spooky baseball game as Slippery Rock defeated the Terre Haute Rex 6-2 in Prospect League action at Bob Warn Field on Sunday.
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Rex drop from first
Two disastrous innings from a tired bullpen helped knock the Terre Haute Rex out of first place in the Prospect League West Division baseball standings Friday night.
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Kraemer's big night keeps Rex in first place
The Terre Haute Rex maintained at least a tie for first place in Prospect League baseball’s West Division on Thursday, getting a huge night from Koby Kraemer in a 9-5 win over the Chillicothe Paints.
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Rex tighten grip on first place
The Terre Haute Rex and Nashville Outlaws each had their share of highlights and lowlights Friday night in a first-place battle at Bob Warn Field.
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Terre Haute Rex celebrating Negro Leagues night at Bob Warn Field
Director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, is in Terre Haute to celebrate the history. He and George Altman, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues prior to joining the Chicago Cubs, will be honored prior to the Terre Haute Rex game tonight at Bob Warn Field.
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King of Pain: Rex’s Meggs leading league in hit-by-pitch
When a ballplayer has been struck by more pitches than his strikeout total, he clearly knows how to handle himself at the plate.
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Rex can’t shake bad start, opposing pitcher; drop from top of division
The Terre Haute Rex lost 3-1 to last-place DeKalb County on another sauna-like evening at Bob Warn Field, falling out of a first-place tie with Nashville.
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Metro Roundup: Usually reliable Rex bullpen fails in final two innings
The usually reliable Terre Haute Rex bullpen failed in the final two innings Saturday night, allowing six runs in the final two innings as host Lorain County came from behind for an 8-3 Prospect League baseball win.
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Hayes leaving Ohio State to play for ISU
Hometown baseball has been good to Terre Haute South graduate Jacob Hayes.
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Rex edge Bombers; get share of first place
The Terre Haute Rex moved into a tie for first place with the Nashville Outlaws after a 3-2 win against Dubois County on a steamy Monday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Sharp defense, six runs in 7th drive Rex past Danville
You might not think a defensive play perpetrated by Ronnie Mitchell and Koby Kraemer would have been a key in the Terre Haute Rex’s 10-2 victory over the Danville Dans in a Prospect League baseball game at Bob Warn Field on Sunday.
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Hileman celebrates birthday in style
The Terre Haute Rex treated 1,107 fans, including baseball legend Tommy John, to an effective combination of hitting, pitching and defense in downing the DeKalb County Liners 9-5 in Prospect League action Saturday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Early advantage doesn’t hold up for Terre Haute Rex
Friday night was a lost opportunity for the Terre Haute Rex, who were in a quest to improve to 3-2 in the Prospect League’s second-half standings.
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Four Rex players get All-Star call
The Terre Haute Rex garnered four selections to the Prospect League All-Star game, which is to be played July 13 at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Va.
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Heefner pitches Rex to 4-3 victory
The Terre Haute Rex evened its second-half Prospect League record at 2-2 with a 4-3 victory against the Richmond RiverRats on Thursday at Bob Warn Field.
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Hileman gets a toe hold with Rex
After suffering a turf toe injury in the first game of Indiana State’s season, Lucas Hileman played through the nagging ailment the remainder of the spring.
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Rex rally for late Monday victory
The Terre Haute Rex opened the second half of their Prospect League season with a victory, defeating first-half Western Division champion Quincy 10-9 in 11 innings in baseball action on Monday.
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For now at least, coach trades Rex for Colts
Jeff Brown starts his new job today, and even the 18- to 20-hour days he predicts could almost seem like a break to him.
At least it’s just one job — and one sport.
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Rex can’t bounce back, lose 7-4
Two late comebacks kept the season’s biggest crowd interested Sunday night, but the Terre Haute Rex couldn’t overcome an early deficit and lost 7-4 to the Dubois County Bombers in Prospect League baseball at Bob Warn Field.
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BULLPEN SPARKLES
A stolen base by Joe Meggs was the game’s biggest offensive play — “Who would’ve thought?” he said afterward — and the Terre Haute bullpen continued to sparkle Friday night at Bob Warn Field as the Rex defeated the Chillicothe Paints 1-0 in Prospect League baseball.
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